From the efforts of the Environmental Club and the facilities manager, Mike Gorman, the Single Stream recycling program has started strong, a culmination of a long and detailed process that had been in development for three years.
E.L. Harvey & Sons, a garbage and recycling plant in Westborough, has been responsible for Algonquin’s waste for years. Recently, the company invested in its own Single Stream system, allowing it to recycle papers, cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, food containers, aluminum, and metal cans all together. Now that Single Stream is in place at school, the recyclables are still sent to E.L. Harvey & Sons to be recycled through their new million-dollar single stream system.
Two years ago, the Environmental Club took a field trip to E.L. Harvey & Sons. The Environmental Club members and Gorman trudged through a rainy day with enthusiasm as the representatives for E.L. Harvey & Sons brought them through the plant.
“I feel like that was when we got serious [about recycling]: when we actually saw what happened to our trash,” said Environmental Club advisor Susan Halpin.
The group observed the trash-compacting process from a garage inside the plant. They were surprised by what they saw.
“It was being burned,” Halpin said. “So even though the energy from the burning is used for electricity, just the fact that it was being burned…things were not being made from what I was throwing away: it was going into the air. That really bothered me.”
In the weeks following, a representative from E.L. Harvey & Sons visited the school to examine options for recycling.
Environmental Club President Jillian Rizzitano said that the club found a lot of white paper and polysterene in the trash. Together with E.L. Harvey & Sons employees, the group tried evaluating the viable options for recycling at school.
“The guy from [E.L. Harvey & Sons] actually spent a lot of time with us explaining the alternatives, and the cost,” Halpin said. “We went around with all of that, and it came down to it costs more to recycle. It was really disappointing.”
At the time, E.L. Harvey & Sons did not yet have its own Single Stream recycling program at the plant. Each environmentally-friendly solution Gorman explored seemed to fall short.
“There really wasn’t a better vehicle at that time,” Gorman said. “Everything else was too costly.”
However, Rizzitano looked into the possibility of using Single Stream. As soon as E.L. Harvey & Sons built its new facility for Single Stream recycling, Rizzitano began campaigning to adapt the program into the school.
“I kept thinking about it, and talking about it, and badgering Mr. Gorman about it,” Rizzitano said.
As a whole, those involved knew it would be more expensive. But even so, Gorman decided it was the right thing to do.
“We [were] a little behind the curve,” Gorman said.
Since the program started, about 85 percent of students and staff are following the procedures properly. After about five weeks, according to Gorman, a load has been sent out consisting of four and a half tons of Single Stream recyclables. Gorman also said that the school hopes to recycle 32 tons this year, with a focus on improving the system.
“We’re trying to promote environmental health and stewardship for the future,”Gorman said.